A synthetic neural system is an information processing paradigm that is inspired by the way biological nervous systems, such as the brain, process information. Biological systems inspire system design in many other ways as well, for example reflex reaction and health signs, nature inspired systems (NIS), hive and swarm behavior, and fire flies. These synthetic systems provide an autonomic computing entity that can be arranged to manage complexity, continuous self-adjust, adjustment to unpredictable conditions, and prevention and recovery for failures.
One key element is the general architecture of the synthetic neural system. A synthetic neural system is composed of a large number of highly interconnected processing autonomic elements that may be analogous to neurons in a brain working in parallel to solve specific problems. Unlike general purpose brains, a synthetic neural system is typically configured for a specific application and sometimes for a limited duration.
In one application of autonomic elements, each of a number of spacecrafts could be a worker in an autonomous space mission. The space mission can be configured as an autonomous nanotechnology swarm (ANTS). Each spacecraft in an ANTS has a specialized mission, much like ants in an ant colony have a specialized mission. Yet, a heuristic neural system (HNS) architecture of each worker in an ANTS provides coordination and interaction between each HNS that yields performance of the aggregate of the ANTS that exceeds the performance of a group of generalist workers.
More specifically, subset neural basis functions (SNBFs) within a HNS can have a hierarchical interaction among themselves much as the workers do in the entire ANTS collective. Hence, although many activities of the spacecraft could be controlled by individual SNBFs, a ruler SNBF could coordinate all of the SNBFs to assure that spacecraft objectives are met. Additionally, to have redundancy for the mission, inactive workers and rulers can only participate if a member of their type is lost.
In some situations, the ANTS encounters a challenging situation. For example, in some instances, the operation of a particular autonomic spacecraft can be detrimental either to the autonomic spacecraft or to the mission. It would be desirable to have a self-destruct mechanism that can be employed to avoid such a detrimental outcome, for example, analogous to apoptotic activity in a biological system.
Research reported in Klefstrom et al., “c-Myc Augments the Apoptotic Activity of Cytosolic Death Receptor Signaling Proteins by Engaging the Mitochondrial Apoptotic Pathway,” J. Biological Chemistry, 8 Nov. 2002, pp. 43224-43232, indicates that cells receive orders to kill themselves when they divide. The reason appears to be self-protection. An organism relies on cell division for maintenance and growth, but the process is also dangerous: if just one of the billions of cells in a human body locks into division, the result is a tumor. The suicide and reprieve controls can be likened to the dual keys of a nuclear missile: the suicide signal (first key) turns on cell growth but at the same time activates a sequence that leads to self-destruction, while the reprieve signal (second key) overrides the self-destruct sequence. These concepts form the basis for the autonomic systems according to the present teachings.